Drama ‘Because of Gracia’ stars ‘American Idol’ contestant

Because of Gracia, a movie about the decisions facing high school students, will arrive in select theaters nationwide September 15. Touching on religious liberty, intelligent design, bullying, evolution, abortion, and freedom of speech, the film tells the story of Chase Morgan (Chris Massoglia) who finds himself drawn to the new girl in town, Gracia Davis (American Idol contestant Moriah Peters).

“Because of Grácia is my favorite film to have been a part of,” Massoglia says, “because of the honesty and emotion of this beautiful story. I hope every young person watches this movie; I know they will be impacted and deeply touched. Relationships, sex, and dating are all issues I’ve had questions about, and Because of Grácia offers an alternative perspective to these topics from what our generation is hearing in the world and media today.”

In the film, Grácia befriends Bobbi Ryan (Rachael Hayward), understanding that her classmate is in trouble from a dating relationship gone too far, something Gracia can relate to. As Bobbi and her boyfriend struggle with a life-and-death decision, Grácia gets drawn into a classroom debate about the origins of life, and Chase takes the risk of going public with his faith. Their plights chronicle important themes of respect and conflict, reconciliation and redemption for viewers everywhere.

Christian recording artist Peters says the film echoed her own experiences. “At one point I thought the director created [the] story based on experiences of mine that he had seen in online interviews because they are so similar. I think people will really find a connection to the characters.”

Having recently won the International Christian Visual Media awards for Best Youth Film, Best Drama Over $250,000, and Best Picture, as well as the Life Fest Film Festival award for Best Actress (Moriah Peters) and the Park City International Film Festival award for Best Narrative Feature, the film anticipates opening in cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, San Antonio, Orange County, Phoenix, Colorado Springs, Nashville, St. Louis, Seattle, Dallas, Houston, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.